Lecturers teach one-third of undergraduate credit hours in the UC system, yet their median income in 2019 was $19,067. Three out of four lecturers work on short-term contracts with no job stability, no evaluations, and no contractual assurance that they'll be considered for renewal. And in this time of COVID-19, one in three lecturers is not eligible for healthcare coverage, with more than half excluded from Social Security.

Lecturers are first and foremost teachers: they go out of their way to develop innovative and fascinating courses, advise senior theses, write letters of recommendation, hold extra office hours to talk over problem sets, help with writing, advise students on educational and career goals, and offer emotional support during these unprecedented times. Lecturers take the time to learn students’ names.

Since February 1st, 2020, over 6,000 UC lecturers have been working without a contract. They want to know ahead of time whether they will be teaching the following year, whether they will have health insurance, whether they will be able to pay for rent and childcare. Lecturers who have proven themselves excellent teachers should be reappointed before someone entirely new is hired. Stabilizing the teaching workforce will be a tremendous benefit to UC students, who deserve this investment in their education. Public education should not be a gig economy.

Don’t push lecturers to an impasse in their negotiations. It is time to settle a fair contract now with fair and consistent evaluation and rehiring processes. A stable teaching workforce is crucial for our education.